Yuri! in the Air
by Almighty Di Angelo
Summary: Quidditch!AU / Japan's Seeker Yuuri Katsuki is in a slump until Russia's legendary ex-Seeker Viktor Nikiforov offers to be his personal coach. Romance, drama and most importantly humor ensues! Viktor/Yuuri, Otabek/Yurio, Yakov/Lilia and others.


Soooooo a while ago me and my friend Lily (this fanfic is dedicated to you hun) were talking and at some point she said something among the lines of: "I don't know which one I like more, Viktor Nikiforov or Viktor Krum." Naturally, I got the perfect idea for a fanfic and here we are. I don't know if there already is a fanfic like this (I wouldn't be surprised tbh) but if there is, I just hope this one is a little bit different, haha.

Oh, and I know the canon spelling of Viktor's name is Victor but I prefer Viktor because it just seems more realistic to me and I want to make references to Viktor Krum in this fanfic. So if that bothers you, sorry!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Yuri! on Ice or Harry Potter. Oh, boy if I did…**

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"He never fails to surprise me. Ever since I first saw his flying it's been an unending chain of surprises."

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" _And Russia wins gold! Viktor Nikiforov catches the Snitch only twenty minutes in and Russia wins 340-20! What a game! America's Leo de la Iglesia didn't stand a chance against Nikiforov! What do you think of this, Morooka?"_

" _Well, Katou, it's been another incredible season for Russia. Their new Beater Plisetsky has most definitely exceeded expectations."_

" _Another new addition, Altin, has been performing just as well."_

" _Yes, he has quite the inspiring background, doesn't he? His home country didn't have a national team so he trained and trained in different countries until he ended up in Russia."_

" _Absolutely. Russia has been winning silver and gold for the last twelve years, ever since Nikiforov joined the team."_

" _We can't say the same thing about our own team, can we."_

" _You're right, Morooka. Japan's Seeker Yuuri Katsuki let his nerves take over in the last game and missed the Snitch a number of times."_

" _Not only that but their Beater team had to return to Japan minutes before the game to visit their children in hospital."_

" _It's certainly been a tough time for the Nishigoris. We wish their family the best of luck."_

Yuuri turned off the radio with a sigh. He didn't want to hear any more of the most embarrassing game of his whole life. The Snitch had been right by his ear _twice_ , but with Yuuko and Takeshi missing he had been too stressed to notice it. The third time the Snitch had been only a couple of meters above him and he did notice it that time, but he was so excited he flew straight into a Bludger sent by Italy's Sala Crispino.

At least Axel, Lutz and Loop had been fine; they had just sneaked off to a muggle skating rink and gotten themselves hurt. Yuuri did feel bitter because Japan could definitely have won if the Nishigori Beaters had been in the game, but the kids' health was more important. After all, Yuuko was like a sister to him and the last thing he wanted to happen was for her children to get hurt.

Yuuri hadn't been to Quidditch practice in almost a month. Despite Minako's owls, he had stayed locked in his room eating and eating and eating. He would occasionally flick his wand (he had never been good with wandless magic) to get rid of the empty katsudon bowls and flick it again to get changed and cleaned up.

He knew it wasn't the way to go. Seekers were small and agile and especially with his slow metabolism, he needed constant training and a healthy diet. Minako knew that as well and in a couple of the letters Yuuri had received from her, she reminded him of her right as a captain and a coach to kick him out of the team. Yuuri did the thing he did the best and ignored all her owls.

He rolled off his bed and checked his phone (as a muggleborn he had all kinds of muggle niceties he couldn't imagine a life without) only to toss it back into the corner of the room it had previously been in. He wished witches and wizards could have their own Twitter and Instagram and all the other social media.

"Maybe that's what I should do once Minako kicks me out of the team. I should develop wizarding social medias. They say a change in career is refreshing…" he mumbled to himself.

"NO YOU WON'T!"

Yuuri had never stood up quicker. In fact, he stood up so quick his vision went blurry and he fell back on the floor. He grabbed his glasses and saw a short teenager with red and blonde hair staring at him furiously.

"Who are you?" he asked carefully. The boy's glare changed into a wide grin as he introduced himself: "I'm Minami! I'm Japan's team's new chaser. Minako says I can be the seeker if you retire though!"

"What? I'm not retiring!" Yuuri shrieked and stood back up – and stayed on his feet this time. Minami's grin spread wider (if that was even possible) and he winked at Yuuri.

"Minako says you will if you don't show up at practice tomorrow. Anyway, I should go now. Bye! It was awesome to meet you!"

Only after Minami had stormed out just as quickly as he had come, Yuuri questioned silently who had even let him in and when had their previous chaser retired.

The next day Yuuri left his home for the first time in almost a week. The air smelled of spring and a chilly breeze of wind felt refreshing against his skin. The fresh air did wonders; he felt better the moment he stepped outside.

The national Quidditch team of Japan trained just outside of the small town of Hasetsu, which was convenient because it was the town Yuuri grew up in. There was usually no need to apparate to the pitch since he could just jog there – besides, Minako always made anyone who apparated run up to ten laps depending on her mood. "Why apparate when you can fly?" was her motto and she followed it a bit too well sometimes. Like that time she accio'd her broom from home just to fly a hundred meters or so.

Yuuri wasn't too fond of apparating anyway so he cast a disillusionment charm on himself and mounted his old Yajirushi; though the team had abandoned Yajirushis in 2015 after Yajirushi Turbo launched, he preferred his old broom and used it whenever he could.

He didn't realise how much he missed his broom until he took off and felt the familiar adrenaline rush and excitement that came only from flying. He laughed as he ascended higher and did a few stunts only to almost fall back on the ground. He figured he really was out of shape and needed to train before he could properly get back into Quidditch.

 _Back into Quidditch._ Before leaving the house, he hadn't decided what to do yet. Now starting Quidditch again just seemed like the only natural thing to do. Just the thought of playing made him smile. He couldn't believe he had even considered retiring when he hadn't even won a single medal yet. When he hadn't even played against Viktor Nikiforov yet.

Viktor had been Yuuri's idol since his Mahoutokoro days. When Yuuri was 15, there was a big Quidditch game in Japan and the students were taken there as a field trip since Quidditch had always been a bigger thing in Mahoutokoro than in most wizarding schools. The match was Japan vs. Russia and although Yuuri knew he should have rooted for Japan's team, he kept finding himself watching Viktor. The Seeker's technique was something he had never seen before. There was no pattern, no strategy, just flying. It was an unending chain of surprises. In the end Japan won, but in Yuuri's opinion Viktor had flown the best.

After that one game Yuuri, who had never been interested in sports, begged Minako to include him in the school's Quidditch team. He got in as a substitute Chaser and although his first official game wasn't until his final year, he was more than happy to be in the team.

When Yuuri graduated, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do so he helped his parents at their onsen and joined Hasetsu's own little Quidditch team. His childhood friends Yuuko and Takeshi were Beaters in the same team and Minako was their captain. The team became successful; they became an official team and played in the champion's league a few times. Eventually they all ended up playing for Japan's national team and the rest was history.

When Yuuri arrived at the Quidditch pitch the rest of the team was already waiting. Yuuko was the first one to notice him and squealed in delight as she ran to him and squeezed him tightly.

"We all missed you so much!" she said.

"Did you?" Yuuri laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah, we thought Minami would have to replace you," Takeshi answered warmheartedly and patted him on the shoulder so hard he almost collapsed on his knees.

"I'm not a very good Seeker. I get distracted," Minami himself added, rubbing the back of his head as he talked.

"Which sucks, because he has the perfect structure for a Seeker," said Yuuto, their Keeper. He grabbed the said boy and ruffled his already crazy hair until it resembled a bird's nest.

" _Yuuri!"_

Yuuri visibly winced when Minako yelled his name and glared daggers at him.

"What's with that belly? That's not the shape a Seeker should be in! We've got a training camp a week from now and we need a capable Seeker, not a pig! Five laps around the pitch and two hundred push ups! If you're not dead by the time you've finished you can join our practice! Laps and push ups, _now_!"

 _Ruthless as always_ , Yuuri thought. He threw his broom and rucksack on the ground and started running his first lap. _Still, it's better to just do what I'm told to… Heavens know what that woman would do if someone disobeyed her._

While Yuuri was running his laps, the rest of the team mounted their brooms and started the practice. Yuuri tried not to watch them because whenever he did catch a glimpse of his teammates flying and playing, his heart grew heavier with longing to fly.

After five laps and two hundred push ups Yuuri felt more tired than he had ever felt, but he wanted to play so bad he just cast an aquamenti charm on himself and rested for five minutes before getting his broom and taking off.

"Are you sure you can play, Yuuri? Minako shouldn't have been so hard on you, you haven't exercised in ages," Yuuko said worriedly, flying beside him.

"I'm fine!" Yuuri replied and did a sloth grip roll just to prove himself. He did struggle to get up a bit, but luckily Yuuko didn't notice.

"Alright, everyone! I invited Hasetsu's team to practice with us today so let's give 'em all we've got! Don't forget they've won matches against Toyohashi Tengu!" Minako shouted as loud as she could so they all heard him.

"Yeah, practice matches," Takeshi pointed out but luckily Minako didn't hear. Although she wasn't in the team herself anymore, she would still always have a soft spot for Hasetsu's own team and often invited them to practice.

Yuuko and Takeshi's triplets were sometimes allowed to be the "referees" in matches and today as well they got the honour to release the balls. The game started with Lutz throwing the Quaffle in the air and Loop blowing the whistle.

Yuuri didn't remember the last time he had so much fun. The match wasn't very serious, but serious enough for Yuuri to get seriously into it. He kept an eye out for the Snitch while still following the game and occasionally distracting the opposite team's Seeker with a Wronski Feint (he didn't go all the way though; he didn't want anyone to get hurt) or playfully taking part in the formations Minako made the Chasers practice. When he got bored he performed stunts he had seen some solo flyers do (a new-ish popular sport where individual flyers performed tricks and stunts in front of judges).

After around 40 minutes Yuuri caught a glimpse of something gold by the opposing team's hoops. Team Hasetsu's seeker was still flying aimlessly on the other side of the field and was lazily watching the national team do their signature move, The Tsunami. He saw his chance and took it.

He rushed across the pitch and made a dart for the unsuspecting Snitch. Alas, before he could wrap his fingers around it, he saw something in the stands that made his heart skip a beat. He blinked and looked again but he still remained there – a man with silvery white hair staring right at him with the faintest smile. The man tapped his knee and when Yuuri looked at his own, he saw the Snitch flapping its wings right next to it. He grabbed it quickly before it could get away again, but at that point winning the game didn't matter anymore.

Viktor Nikiforov had been watching him fly.

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Annnnd there we go, the first chapter! Let me know what you think, follow, favourite and all that stuff. This first chapter was just an introduction thingy, I promise there will be more action in the future chapters! See you soooooooon!


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